Ryan Sullivan hands off the opposition. . .

. . . and touches down.

Cefn Coed 19 - Cardiff High School Old Boys 6.

After defeating Cardiff HSOB by 31 points to 3 away from home last October, the Cardiff side's third form top position in the league on 43 points has appeared enigmatic. The HSOB side who visited the Patch on Saturday were a stronger and much changed team who gave Cefn a good game, but did not look like a table topping outfit. With five or six hard games to play out of their eight remaining league fixtures, it is difficult to see the Cardiff side maintaining their league position.

Cefn are in mid table on 31 points from 14 games played, and with the teams immediately above winning positions remained unchanged. With eight games to play and six of them looking like bankers, an end of season rise up the tables must be the Cefns' aim. Playing to form and with their heads on the return game against league leaders Llandaff North is winnable as is a reversal of fortunes against Taffs Well in a game thrown away in away leg.

Cefn opened the match playing positive rugby, and it was not long before Ryan Sullivan prove there is no defence against speed as he sliced through the Cardiff back line to score between the posts. Alex Bowen adding the two conversion points for a seven nil lead. Bowen soon adding three penalty points as Cardiff were penalised for hands in at the ruck.

Cefn soon lost their advantage as a silly late tackle was rewarded with a yellow card. Cefn held the game together and even with a reduction in playing strength to fourteen men gained a penalty for not releasing, with the referee adding another ten yards for undisciplined chopsing. Jarret Rees slotting the points to put Cefn into a 13 nil lead at the interval.

A second silly yellow for lying on the ball reduced Cefn to fourteen men for a second ten minute period of the game. Two yellows make for twenty minutes of fourteen man rugby making winning all the more difficult. Dan Jones for the Old Boys making no mistake with the penalty to put three points on the board for the Cardiff side. A poor second half performance saw again Cefn revert to gift aid rugby surrendering possession to the opposition, with sloppy kicks that turn confidence building attacks into moral sapping defence.

A penalty for hand was despatched by Dan Jones to add three points to the HSOB score, and a converted try to draw. With second half eight penalties awarded against Cefn, Cardiff could have won the match from the penalty kicks. Fortunately two penalties from Jarrett Rees edged Cefn into a 16 - 6 and then a 19 - 6 winning margin.

Technically the scrum outplayed a bigger Cardiff packer but without two specialist lineout jumpers and some non confident throwing Cefn struggled. A big defensive game by Alun Bevan who took out the Cardiff ball carrier on numerous occasions.

Thursday all roads lead to Pentyrch (Pronounced tyrch not turk) for a re-arranged league game. Turn off the A470 at the Walnut Tree Viaduct that was, and then right at the next roundabout heading up the Garth mountain. Kick off 7.15 under floodlights.